Pale Batis
Batis soror
A typical black, white, and gray batis. Note the chest band, which is black in males and rufous in females. Females also have a pale rufous patch at the center of their otherwise white throat. Found in miombo broadleaf woodland and coastal forest, often in pairs. Similar to Chinspot Batis but paler overall, and the black breast band of the male is narrower. Also paler overall than Eastern Black-headed Batis. The variable song is usually a fast series of identical high-pitched whistled notes.
Identification
The pale batis is an active, black, white and grey bird which is pale grey above with a black face mask bordered by a thin white supercilium, yellow eye and a pale grey back, mottled with faint white spots. It has white underparts marked with a black band across the breast in males; females have a pale rufous breast band and a similar coloured spot on the chin. The bill and legs are black. Immature birds are similar to the female except that the breast band is browner and the underparts have a buffy wash. The pale batis measures 10.5–11.5 cm (4.1–4.5 in) in length and weighs 8–13.1 g (0.28–0.46 oz).<p>The territorial call of the pale batis is a repeated, mournful, long and piping 3-note “pook pook pook” which is repeated up to 12 times at a constant rate, with which the female duets giving excited "wik-wik" calls. Otherwise the repertoire consists of typical batis bill snaps, churrs and whistles.
Taxonomy
Genus: Batis; Family: Platysteiridae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Batis soror
- Authority
- Reichenow, 1903
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Platysteiridae
- Genus
- Batis
Range and habitat
Eastern Africa from coastal Kenya including the Arabuko Sokoke National Park south through eastern and south-eastern Tanzania, the islands of Zanzibar and Mafia, to Mozambique as far south as the Save River, inland to south eastern Malawi, and the east-facing slopes of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. The pale batis typically occurs in lowland miombo woodland, normally below 500 m (1,600 ft) in coastal woodlands where there is a mosaic of forest and dense scrub. Can also be found in mopane and acacia around the edges of its distribution. In the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe it is found up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level in tall Uapaca kirkiana stands, thickets of Philippia spp. and woodland dominated mountain acacia.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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